There are certain cultural icons whose presence in and influence on the world is so powerful and pervasive, it transforms them into signposts marking the march of history  the world before and after Elvis, the Beatles, JFK and now ... SpongeBob.

Nickelodeon, the birthplace of SpongeBob SquarePants, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the hit animated series with a 50-hour marathon that starts Friday and includes 11 new episodes. Amid all the celebratory hubbub, it can seem strange to remember just how strange SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom posse seemed when they first appeared way back in 1999.

I agree! I’ve got most of the old Looney Toons on DVD. I couldn’t take any more Dora—that high pitched, nasal “Hola” and the gentle, non-offensive, completely dull storylines were driving me crazy! My 5-year-old son has come to agree with me—I never TOLD him how I disliked the bilingual bore, but after exposing him to Wile E. Coyote and Daffy Duck, there was no going back.

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posted on 07/18/2009 2:43:55 PM PDT
by Calico Cat
(Some say that life is the thing; I prefer to read)

All the politically correct “diversity” hooey notwithstanding, I think TV shows that introduce children to foreign languages are a great idea—I don’t see anything wrong with getting kids to make the most of their language-learning prime. It’s completely stupid that we hold off foreign language study until middle or high school, AFTER the window has closed.

Of course, this beloved cartoon character may as well be named “Contraceptive-Sponge Bob Squarepants”, ever since that episode where Spongebob and his neighbor try to adopt a foundling along with experimenting with gender roles. :’)

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